Rachel's After

Ok, since Kasey posted hers I had to post mine. BTW Kasey, you look amazing!

 I think this is the perfect time to bring the first phase of getting back in shape after baby to a close.  With the new year comes the next phase and we are both pretty excited about the goals we have set for ourselves this year.

Honestly I was not very excited to post my after photos.  I struggled with P90X.  Struggle is an understatement.  Frankly, it was over my head at this point.  But I didn't give up.  I still made fitness a priority and did what I could.  Until I saw my after photos I didn't feel that I made much progress, but the photos say otherwise.  I am proud of myself. Clearly, not giving up paid off.  I am so glad that I didn't throw in the towel. I am more motivated than ever to keep going.
Here are my before stats:

Weight: 142 lbs
Chest: 29.5"
Waist: 30.5"
Hips: 36"
R thigh: 22"
L thigh: 21.75"
Bicep: 11.24" (12"flexed)

And my after stats:

Weight: 132 lbs
Chest: 30.5"
Waist: 29"
Hips: 33.5"
R thigh: 20"
L thigh: 19.75"
Bicep: 11" (11.5" flexed)

And now the pictures...after and before side by side!

Although I am proud of the progress that I made I still am not where I'd like to be.  Ideally I'd still like to drop five more pounds (to my pre-pregnancy weight) and I am going to do a pull-up if it kills me!  I am also ready to start running again and have a half marathon planned in June and a full marathon in November. 

My next step is to give myself some time to focus on building the basic strength I need for P90X and I'll give it another go in March or so. When I can do one pull-up I know I'll be ready (I found a great pull-up program for those of us who can't do a pull-up yet-leave your email address in a comment and I'll send it to you). I am determined to finish P90X from beginning to end, I just need a little more time. 

Before I leave you with one last picture I'd like to offer some advice:  Something is always better than nothing.  Any progress is better than no progress. After two c-sections and the loss of my twin daughters my body was pretty worked. The last two and a half years have taken a physical and emotional toll me much greater than I realized. I was very discouraged in the beginning because I couldn't get my body to do what I thought it should be able to do.  But instead of calling it quits I just did what I could. I welcomed the reality check and ditched the perfectionist standards I impose on myself. Everyone has to start somewhere, the point is to just start...and then DON'T quit. Every little bit of effort has made a difference for me and it will make a difference for you too.  I still need another 90 days or so to really get where I want to be, but at least I'm 90 days ahead of where I was. It feels so good to start the new year off right!

Happy New Year!